A new housing development in Clunes is part of a much wider program to provide homes to those on lower incomes, the elderly and those with disabilities.
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A block on the corner of Victoria and Beckwith streets has been sub-divided into five new titles, with four new dwellings being constructed in a partnership between a local housing association, the Hepburn Shire Council and the not-for-profit Community Housing (Vic) Limited (CHL).
CHL manages over 9000 properties in Australia, and its newly-appointed Victorian state manager Grant McNeill says the project fits into the organisation's broader goal of a world without housing poverty.
"We're seeking to provide housing across Victoria for a range of high-need groups and low income groups," Mr McNeill says.
"In Clunes we're providing the project management, but we also offer tenancy and property management , and we work in partnership with the state government of Victoria."
The new houses in Clunes will be two-bedroom dwellings with carports or garages attached, and will be compliant with the requirements of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Mr McNeill says.
"We think this is a great example of a community partnership, where we have a local committee and the local council supporting this project," he says.
"In pooling our resources we're able to increase the number of properties in the project."
Hepburn Shire councillor Don Henderson says there's a continuing need for this kind of community housing, in Clunes but also across other regional areas.
"Council has always had some houses in Clunes; and we had some land up in Victoria St," said Councillor Henderson in an interview with The Courier.
"We had other land in a place called Cameron Court which is down the main street. And we had a block that we had set aside to do some more building on, because a few years ago the community decided that it wanted community housing.
"There's a block of land down in Victoria Street which was nice and flat, not far from the railway station which is close to the only public transport in Clunes, so we gave that to the housing trust - and we're still on the title, they can't sell it without our permission. So even though we've signed it over to them and the money to do this development, we've allowed them to sell one block which will help fund the rest.
"There's five blocks there, so the housing trust are building four, one of them is for private sale so that will help fund the rest. It is a council project and it's not, we've handed that over to a housing trust that manages public housing Australia wide and they do just that - low-income housing. It'll be for local people, that was part of the charter."
Councillor Henderson says the project is a model the council has used in Daylesford as well, and works effectively in letting council be part of a housing solution.
"It lets council get involved with public housing without really getting involved," Councillor Henderson said.
"The money doesn't go back into council, it isn't spent by council, it goes back into the housing.
"The committee of management... have actually raised the money and they wanted to see it spent on housing. They didn't want to see it go into council revenue and we've honoured that. If they've raised the money and managed the properties over the years and done a good job of it, why would we punish them?
"And they've done a fabulous job, that committee have been a real success. Often these things, it's all take and no give - but this committee over in Clunes over the years have been very diligent and they've done a great job and been very conscientious."
The project is due for completion later in the year.